Tempe sexual assaults more than double in past year

ASU’s annual security report, released Monday, included a significant rise in number of sexual offense cases.

The 2011 school year revealed more than a 225 percent leap in forcible sexual offenses on the Tempe campus, with four documented cases in 2010 and 13 incidents last year.

There was little difference in any other campus crime statistics.

Wellness and Health Promotion Director Karen Moses said students are more likely to report incidents because they are becoming more educated about the value of consent and the severity of sexual violence.

Students differed on whether these numbers reflect a growing willingness to report sexual assaults or an actual rise in the frequency of the assaults.

Global politics sophomore Yonit Upart said she believed the assault rate is rising.

“The rise of sexual assault on campus is inevitable with an increase in the student population and the lack of a fine line in defining sexual assault,” she said.

However, random sample surveys indicate there is not an increase in sexual assault cases, Moses said. This signifies that students are making an effort to report attacks, she said.